From Kastelli to Embaros to Agios Antonios of Arvi Monastery SEE ALL AVAILABLE ROUTES
Heading from the Peninsula to the Karouzana area, we will visit the 10th century church of Agios Panteleimon.
The Timiou Stavrou Kallergi Monastery is located west of Kastelli. We will head south to the plains and, after seeing the Church of Agios Ioannis in Liliano, we will visit the Church of Zoodochos Pigi in Avli and the Church of Christos in Kasani.
We head southeast to Embaros, which features the Church of Agioi Apostoloi and the Church of Panagia of Detis in the southern side of the village.
In Viannos, we will visit the Churches of Panagia and Agia Ekaterini, as well as Agia Moni Convent.
Following the road to the south, we reach Keratokambos, where the Church of Agios Panteleimon is located, and will end to the east in Arvi, where Agios Antonios Monastery dominates the exit of the Canyon of the same name.
Agios Antonios (St. Anthony) Monastery (Arvi)
Agios Antonios Monastery was founded around 1880 by the monk Artemios. According to tradition, Artemios initially selected the exit of Arvi canyon, where the temple of Arvios Zeus was located, as the location for the Monastery, but later moved higher up, on the eastern foothills, where he built the first cells of the Monastery. The […]
Agia Moni (Holy Monastery) of Viannos Convent
Agia Moni, a convent dedicated to the Dormition of Mother Mary, is located at the exit of Afrati canyon. According to tradition, it was built by three Cypriot nuns, who initially built the church of Agios Dimitrios (St. Demetrius) in Keratokambos. The monastery operated until 1842 but was deserted from 1842 to 1865. On August […]
Church of Panagia (Mother Mary) / Church of Agia Ekaterini (St. Catherine) (Ano Viannos)
The hamlet of Ano Viannos is home to many important churches, including the church of Panagia i Liontarini (Mother Mary of the Lion), where, according to tradition, there was an artful Venetian marble lion, and the 14th century church of Agia Ekaterini (built in 1360) with well-preserved murals.
Panagia (Mother Mary) of Detis (milliarado)
South of Embaros, on a hillside called ‘Detis’ by the locals, lies the pilgrimage of Panagia. It is a small cavernous church built in a crack within the rock, where, according to tradition, the icon of the Virgin Mary that left the church of ‘Kato Kera’ in order to escape the Ottomans is located.
Church of Sotiras Christos (Christ the Redeemer) (Kassani)
The Kassani region includes many churches of the Late Byzantine era with noteworthy murals. One of these is the church of Sotiras Christos, at the village centre, beside the old fountain. The surviving murals depict the Birth, the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, the Baptism of Jesus, the Last Supper, etc.
Church of Zoodochos Pigi (Life-Giving Font) (Avli)
The old, stone-built church of Zoodochos Pigi, of exceptional architectural interest, is located deep within a small valley and its feast day is on the first Friday after Easter.
Church of Agios Ioannis (St. John) (Liliano)
The Byzantine church of Agios Ioannis is a three-aisled basilica, with ogival arcs supported by columns bearing capitals of the Ionic order. The church, which dates back to the 12th – 13th century in its entirety, was erected using older structures, possible older churches, as building materials.
Kallergis Monastery (Kastelli)
Kallergis Monastery was built during the era of Venetian rule. It is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist and it is a glebe of Vidiani Monastery of the Lassithi Plateau. It was built at the site of an older monastery, with ruins of its cells surviving in the nearby church of Profitis Ilias. The monastery […]
Agios Panteleimon (St. Pantaleon) (Bitzariano)
The Byzantine church of Agios Panteleimon, dating back to the 10th century, is a three-aisled basilica with two rows of colonnades. It is possible that, in antiquity, there was an Asclepeion at the site of the church. The aisles are dedicated to Saint Pantaleon, the Life-giving Font and Saint John. Few murals survive today, on […]
